Forbidden Places of the Heart: Luna and Artemis
by sailorstar0183
Summary: This fanfic explores the relationship between Luna and Artemis in the Silver Millenium. It also tells the way I like to think Luna became a cat. Rated PG-13 to be sure that no one is offended, although it could probably be rated PG.


Hello! This is your friendly neighborhood Sailor Star checking in! I wrote this fanfic about two years ago, and now I've revised it. My friend Mindy also has the unrevised version somewhere. Anyways, I'm focusing on Luna and Artemis this time around. What happened to them? Why are they cats? What were their lives like in the Silver Millenium? I hope to answer some questions with this fanfic. In the meantime, enjoy.  
  
Disclaimer: The sailor moon characters don't belong to me; I'm just going to borrow them for a little while.  
  
  
  
**********************************Forbidden Places of the Heart************************************  
  
Serena gazed at the full moon and sighed. She was remembering all of the good times she had had on the moon. Nights with Prince Endymion, days with Luna and her mother, and parties with the other princesses. So many lost days since then. Serena found the feeling of homesickness overwhelming at times, especially now that she knew that the future resembled the past so much. And so, she transported herself to the palace ruins; she had never told the other scouts that she had the ability to do this. There, in the center of where the palace used to be, was the one remaining room: the realm of the Imperium Silver Crystal. Serena closed her eyes and imagined her mother standing there, giving her lessons on how to be a good queen.  
  
Serena smiled unconsciously. Being queen was something she never would have thought about if her mother hadn't brought it up. She knew that her mother would live thousands of years, perhaps forever. Serena was only 17 in the Silver Millennium when her mother died. She had died to save Serena. As she thought of this, one solitary tear fell down Serena's cheek. A soft breeze blew and dried her tears. Serena could feel her mother's presence and power in this place, even if she couldn't see her.  
  
Nearby, a silent figure watched her new queen from the shadows. She, too, had secret abilities that she had not told the scouts about. She swiftly returned to the only form that Serena had known. Quietly, the cat walked forward into the light. This guardian of the moon princess and of Sailor Moon uttered one soft word, catching Serena by surprise.  
  
"Serenity."  
  
"Oh!" Serena opened her eyes and looked at Luna. "You startled me. I was just, um, I was..." She didn't want to admit her loneliness for her mother.  
  
"You were just praying to see you mother here." Luna knew Serena all too well. "I hate to tell you, but I doubt that you will see her tonight. Is there something you would like to talk to me about instead?"  
  
"No, thank you, Luna." Serena sighed. "I'll just go back to Earth now." She disappeared.  
  
As soon as she was gone, Luna stood up and transformed back into her original form. When she had visited here for the first time after she had discovered Sailor Moon, she had found herself walking on two feet. She had become human again. The fact had scared her so much that she had not dared to come back until now. And why she came back now, she would never know.  
  
She walked along the premises of the old castle, her old home. She passed the ballroom, which was now nothing more than a heap of white marble. In her mind, she could see the ballroom as it once was: beautiful white marble, with delicate designs crisscrossing each other, over the banisters, through the halls; a never-ending circle. The floors were made of lustrous mahogany, imported from earth, and the balconies were always covered with fragrant flowers from the other planets.  
  
Flowers. Luna made her way to the gardens. Some of the columns were still standing, but the flowers had long since died off. The only remnants of the beautiful garden were fossilized tree branches, dark and twisted, much like the demon who had destroyed this world.  
  
Luna walked around the garden, making her way to the front hall of the palace, which was no longer intact. Luna stepped over the rubble and dug into the white marble gravel. Beneath her, she found the center of the control room, where all of the maps for all of the star systems in the universe had once resided. Here, all one had to do was ask for the star map to any system, and the walls, ceiling and floor became a moving sphere of stars. It had been one of Luna's favorite rooms. She paused, remembering the countless hours she had spent memorizing these star systems.  
  
Luna stood up again and walked to the back of the palace. To her surprise, the stream was still running. Luna looked into the water and there she saw, for the first time in many years, her human reflection. Before her was a raven-haired beauty. The nose was soft but firm. Her eyes were large and bright blue, like the sky. Her mouth was charming, the color of deep scarlet roses. Her hair hung loosely about her shoulders, except where it was pulled up into two buns on wither side of her head. It was wavy, and black with hints of purple. Her skin was as white as snow, with one exception: the golden crescent moon on her forehead that served as a reminder of her place in the palace.  
  
Luna was surprised to see she hadn't aged. She looked to be only 18 years old, but she felt the burden of her years.  
  
And it was a heavy burden to carry.  
  
____________________________________________________________________________ __________________  
  
  
  
When Luna was born, her mother and father rejoiced. She was a beautiful child, and it was apparent immediately that she was exceptionally intelligent. When she was only two, her parents decided to take her to the queen to be put in training as a priestess, a high honor for a child her age.  
  
The queen immediately chose the girl high above the other students and kept Luna with her almost all the time. Queen Serenity was truly the only mother Luna knew because she never saw her parents after that. While the other priests-in-training were having classes, Luna was talking with Serenity about deep subjects. Serenity could see that Luna was very thorough with her thoughts, but she had a quick tongue and spoke her mind often without fear. The advisors and priests in the castle marveled at the two-year old.  
  
By the time she was 3 years old, Luna could read very well, and did so profusely. She read everything she could get her hands on, absorbing information quickly. People were astounded by her knowledge. Secretly, the queen was preparing her to be an advisor. At the age of 10, Luna had read every book in all the libraries of every planet in the system. She was ready to be officially announced as the primary advisor to the queen.  
  
Although she valued Luna and knew she would be the best advisor any ruler could hope for, Queen Serenity was concerned. Luna was still only a very young child, and Serenity felt that she had taken away Luna's youth. But Luna was adamant.  
  
"Your highness, with all due respect, I hold more knowledge than even your most learned scholars. I have read all the ancient scripts, I have conversed with you extensively on every subject you can think up. Why will you not make me your royal advisor?" Luna pouted. It was her one child- like trait.  
  
"Luna, the scholars have something you don't: thousands of years of experience. It's not that I don't believe that you can make good choices, or that you haven't had enough education. I just feel that you are not old enough. Surely you can understand that. My youngest advisor up until this point was still over 100 years old. Right now, you are only 10. Don't you want to experience more in life before you take that step? Because none of my advisors have had time for love, families, or leisure time after they came to me. You haven't even tasted these yet."  
  
Luna understood. Secretly, she prayed that she could become the queen's official advisor soon. It was her only dream. But in many respects, she already was the queen's advisor. The queen came to Luna and usually went with her judgments when she needed an informed opinion. It was also known around the entire kingdom that Luna had special powers, like the ability to read minds. But this never popped into her head. Luna felt that her power was inconsequential, and went along in her life like any normal moon child. However, she agreed to wait for "leisure, family, and love," as the queen said.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
One day, when she was about 17, Luna sat picking flowers in the gardens behind the palace. It was a beautiful place, but was not open to the public except on special occasions. So, she was surprised when she heard a male voice behind her.  
  
"Hello." came the voice behind some bushes.  
  
"Wha...." Luna whirled around. "Who are you? What are you doing in the gardens? Don't you know that you are not allowed here?"  
  
"I'm not?" the teenager (for that was what he must be) asked innocently. "Then why are you here?"  
  
"Because I'm a priestess for the queen and one of her advisors. I live in the palace." Luna was furious that he would ask such a question. Didn't he know who she was?  
  
"I'm a priest-in-training. I believe I have every right to be here as you do." the boy smirked. "Do you think you're the only one who's privileged to go around talking to the royalty?"  
  
"Why, I..." Luna found herself speechless. She hadn't been very gracious to this boy, and she had deserved his comment, but it stung. She took a moment to regain her dignity. She bowed her head in resignation and calmed her demeanor. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me for being so rude. Of course you have every right to be here. You just startled me, that's all."  
  
"I'm glad you agree." The boy walked over to Luna, who took the opportunity to look him over. He was about her age, maybe a year older, and had very handsome features. His hair was long and silver, and he carried himself well. Luna snapped out of her trance when he proceeded to sit down next to her.  
  
"What are you doing? I'm trying to concentrate over here." Luna said half-heartedly. She hated to be interrupted, but at the same time, she was intrigued by this audacious teen.  
  
"I was coming to make conversation. My name is..."  
  
"Artemis." Luna said, reading his mind, showing an impatientness for his impertinence. "And I am..."  
  
"You must be Luna, the wonder child. No one has ever read my mind so quickly before. You must be as talented as they say." Luna flushed out of anger, or so she told herself. In actuality, she was flattered. Artemis continued. "Anyway, I figured if you came to the garden to escape, then you must be a great conversationalist, because this is where all the scholars come to concentrate. Besides, I've never actually met a real advisor to the queen. They're usually locked up in their quarters, waiting on her to call them."  
  
Luna laughed. It was true. The advisors seemed to do nothing but wait for the queen to call them. But not her. She lived her life to the fullest, as the queen had told her so many years before. "I hope the queen didn't hear that. I don't think she would have liked it."  
  
At this, Artemis laughed. "If she's anything like her husband, I'm sure she would have found it just as funny as you did. That's my job." Luna raised an eyebrow to question him further. "Well, when I said I was a priest-in-training, it was only half-true. I attend to the needs of the king. Mostly, I tell him jokes. But I've never been a great diplomat; not like you."  
  
"You know, I've only met the king a couple of times. And what's funny is, I spend more time with the queen sometimes than he does." Luna imagined the queen's husband, a very handsome man who sat back and let his wife rule, which was her birthright. He was good at negotiating, not ruling.  
  
Artemis grinned. "He's a wonderful teacher. Anyway, I wish I could meet the queen. The way he talks about her, you would think she hung the moon *and* the sun. Those two are very much in love."  
  
Luna sighed. It was sad thinking that the queen had a wonderful life, and love to go along with it. She had finally begun to realize what the queen meant when she said that Luna should experience 'leisure and love'. However, at seventeen, Luna had never really gotten a chance to see any suitors, much less find a boyfriend. Love was something she rarely thought about, but when she did, she felt depressed.  
  
"What's wrong?" Artemis asked after a moment of silence. "You've been quiet for a long time. Did I say something to offend you?"  
  
"No, it's nothing. To be honest, I was just wishing for a love like the queen and king's. You know, they say a soul bond like that comes once in a millennium." Luna was embarrassed that she was spilling her heart out to a totally unfamiliar person. She blushed hard. "But, listen to me, going on about love to a complete stranger." Luna looked into the sky, looking for inspiration for another subject to discuss. And immediately she found it. There was the earth, a beautiful blue and green ball of life. She pointed up at it. "Artemis, have you ever been there?"  
  
"No." Artemis shook his head. "But I hear it is very beautiful. Maybe you and I will go there someday." He looked at Luna. "That is, if you want to go with me."  
  
Luna blushed. "Are you asking me to go with you?"  
  
"Yes." Artemis looked quite earnest.  
  
"Well, that's a very serious request, considering that we just met." Luna looked away.  
  
"Does that make you uncomfortable?" Artemis asked, and quickly added, "Because if it does, I can drop the subject and we can talk about something else." He decided to 'shoot the moon', to use an earth phrase. "But to tell the truth, the only reason I came over here was to talk to you. You're very pretty, you know."  
  
Luna turned an even more crimson color. "Thank you." She looked back at him. "No one has ever said that to me before." Suddenly, a thought went through her mind. "Oh, goodness, I have to go. Uhm, I'll see you around." She got to her feet quickly and began to trot away.  
  
"Wait! Where are you going?" Artemis was distressed that Luna was leaving him so soon. He thought that he must have truly offended her, or maybe his suggestion was too soon or too much.  
  
"I have a meeting with the queen. I'm running late. I really must go. Good-bye, Artemis." Luna called behind her, still trotting.  
  
"But can I see you again? Say, tomorrow right here at about this time?" Artemis called after her.  
  
Luna turned and smiled. "All right. I'll see you then." And then she disappeared into the shadows of the palace.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~  
  
Luna was out of breath when she finally made it to the queen's chambers. "Your majesty, I'm so sorry that I'm late. It's just that I was out in the garden and I lost track of time and..."  
  
"Luna, don't worry. I already know." Queen Serenity patted the bed next to her. Luna nodded and sat down next to her. "That young Artemis is very entertaining, isn't he? He is also very promising. My husband is quite fond of him, but you already knew that."  
  
Luna blushed. "Yes, your majesty. But don't think that will happen again. I promise not to be late to our next meeting together."  
  
"Don't worry, Luna. It's the first time you've been late for one of our meetings since you found the ancient manuscripts of the sailor scouts in the library. Believe me, I'm not upset. On the contrary, it's nice to see you taking an interest in young men. Anyway, on to the business at hand..." Queen Serenity and Luna talked for a solid four hours before Luna started getting too tired to think anymore, much less keep her eyes open. "Luna, you go on to bed. We'll finish our discussion later." The Queen urged her to her room.  
  
Although she had been almost ready to fall over during her conversation with the queen, Luna couldn't sleep when she got to her quarters. She stayed awake, thinking about the boy she had met today. There was something about him that made Luna feel.... different. She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but she knew she had to see him again. Finally, exhausted, she fell asleep, dreaming of Artemis' gray eyes.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Queen Beryl looked up from her crystal ball. She had seen everything that happened between Luna and Artemis. She recognized the immediate connection between them and smiled. She had been watching Artemis closely for a while now. He was almost as much of a threat to her as the king of the moon was. He knew everything the king knew. But now there might be a way to keep him from ever revealing anything he knew. And that girl would be the key.  
  
"Jedeite! Get in here!" she bellowed. With a cloud of smoke, the man appeared.  
  
"What can I do for you, my queen?" Jedeite asked quietly. He had found that being quiet was more effective than being loud, especially in the presence of Beryl.  
  
"I want you to watch Artemis and Luna. I need to know what they do, where they meet, and everything else about them. I think I have found the solution to our problem." Beryl smirked. "The king will never be able to keep his secrets safe from us, not even with his most trusted advisor." Jedeite bowed and disappeared.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
The next day, Artemis went into the garden extra early in order to meet Luna and surprise her, but found that she was already waiting there for him.  
  
"You're very early." He said as he walked up. He drank in her smile and felt the warmth from her demeanor.  
  
"I could say the same about you." Luna remained where she was. She was very unsure about how to act around him. Should she go up and hug him, or should she remain aloof? She decided to let him make the first move.  
  
Artemis went right up to her and took her hand in his and gently kissed it. "Can I make a confession?" he asked quietly, searching her eyes.  
  
"Please do." Luna's bewitching eyes smiled back at him.  
  
"I couldn't sleep last night in anticipation of seeing you again. I just couldn't wait to talk to you again. You fascinate me, Luna." She blushed at his admission. "Please, don't be embarrassed. I find it rather pleasant." Artemis pulled a willing Luna toward one of the trees in the garden. "I have a special surprise for you."  
  
*What could it be?* Luna thought to herself. Soon she found out what it was. Artemis uncovered a basket of food, with some of the finest delicacies found on the moon. "I thought we could have a picnic here by the stream."  
  
"Oh, how wonderful!" Luna marveled at the food, and ate heartily. He had picked all of her favorite foods. Besides, she wouldn't want to insult Artemis, since he had made such an effort to please her. After they finished their meal, they lazed about, talking quietly of their lives.  
  
"You picked all of my favorite food for tonight. How did you know what I liked to eat?" Luna asked.  
  
"I know many things about you. I know that you love flowers, and reading, and you hold a special place in your heart for the queen." Artemis replied.  
  
"Everybody knows that." Luna replied.  
  
"And I know that your favorite flower is a purple orchid, and your favorite jewel is amethyst. I know so much more than you think I know." Artemis smirked. He was effectively blocking his thoughts to keep Luna from reading his mind.  
  
"Who told you all this?" Luna was truly perplexed, and slightly annoyed that she couldn't reach in to his mind and take the information for herself.  
  
"A little bird." Artemis wasn't going to tell her that he had to ask almost every person in the palace to get this much information about her. She was very secretive about herself.  
  
"OK, wise guy. If you know everything about me, then what's my favorite animal?" Luna smirked now. He couldn't possibly know this. And she was right.  
  
"Uh. . . well. . . I guess I don't know." Artemis was embarrassed that he hadn't been able to find that out.  
  
Luna laughed. "It's a cat." Artemis raised an eyebrow, asking her without words why this was so. "I like them because they are so graceful, and quietly intelligent. Besides, you hardly see them here on the moon. I would love to own one. Or even be one for a day." She chuckled at this slightly.  
  
Artemis laughed too. "My parents and I owned a cat. We gave him to a friend. . . after the accident."  
  
"Accident?" Luna asked. "What kind of accident?"  
  
"The kind that got my parents killed," Artemis replied, a look of sadness coming over his face. "So my aunt and uncle thought it best to bring me here. They thought I was very intelligent, because I was always fixing things. But the truth is, I'm just clever at times. I've never been very intelligent. Anyway, the king likes to laugh, so he keeps me around." Artemis said, shrugging off the seriousness that had fallen over them.  
  
"That's funny, you don't say many clever things to me. Besides, you must be intelligent to find me fascinating." Luna winked at him in order to lighten the mood as well.  
  
"You haven't known me long enough. You'll get to know me very well, I hope, in the times we spend together. I would so like to see you again, Luna." Artemis took her hand again. "I hope you want to see me too." Luna nodded. "Good. That settles it." They began to converse again.  
  
"So, how old were you when your parents died?" Luna asked.  
  
"Well, I guess I was about 10 or 11. I remember that I cried for days." Artemis was genuinely sad.  
  
"What happened to them?"  
  
"Beryl." Artemis' eyes became dark. Very dark. "That's why this is the perfect place for me to be. If anyone is going to help defeat her, it is going to be me."  
  
"Artemis, you have to let go of that pain. I know that it was terrible for you to lose your parents, but the hatred you feel will only kill you in the end, not Beryl." Luna took Artemis' hand. "At least you knew your parents. I don't remember mine at all."  
  
"You never met them? Not even for a visit?" Artemis didn't know this.  
  
"No. They thought it best if I focused entirely on becoming advisor. And here I am." Luna sighed. "But the queen is right. I should make more time for leisure, family," she paused for a second, looking at Artemis. "and love."  
  
"The queen is very wise." Artemis leaned in to Luna, but she stood just then, missing the kiss that was intended for her.  
  
"I think that it may be time for me to go in. I have a few things that I need to attend to tonight." Luna commented, making an excuse to leave. She wanted to be here with Artemis, but at the same time, something was nagging her. She just couldn't put her finger on it.  
  
"Luna? Is something wrong?" Artemis stood too.  
  
Luna leaned into Artemis. "I don't know." She whispered. "But something doesn't feel right." Realizing that she might be hurting Artemis' feelings, she clarified what she meant. "It's not you, but I just don't think that we should be here right this second. We need to meet some other time."  
  
Artemis nodded. "Now that you mention it, I feel it too." He looked around, but saw nothing. "I hope that nothing is seriously wrong." He took Luna's hand. "Still, I want to see you again."  
  
"I want to see you too, Artemis. I'll see you again tomorrow. Here, same time?" she asked.  
  
"Yes. And Luna?" Luna turned toward him. He kissed her hand. "I'll be thinking of you until then." Luna smiled again and watched as he left the garden. Then she looked around one more time, feeling something negative hanging in the air. She shook her head, and walked back to the palace.  
  
From the shadows, a figure turned and left to report these things to his queen.  
  
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After their first encounters, Luna and Artemis made sure to see each other every day. They thoroughly enjoyed each other's company and felt a strong bond of companionship; best friends who would talk to each other about everything, or so Luna thought at first. But she felt that Artemis was keeping something from her. She wasn't sure what it was, but it hurt her deeply that Artemis should keep anything from her. If there were secrets between them, then there wasn't full trust. And where there wasn't trust, there couldn't be true love. So, she resolved herself to keep from falling in love with Artemis. She and Artemis were good friends; that was all. And she told herself this every night as she dreamed of his steely gray eyes.  
  
Artemis, on the other hand, had felt something more than platonic from the moment they had met in the garden, and couldn't understand why Luna kept herself distant from him. Day after day, she let him touch her less and less; although they still talked extensively, they began to talk for shorter and shorter periods of time. Eventually, he couldn't touch her without her pulling away. As time wore on, he realized why she wouldn't come closer to him: she knew that he wasn't telling her the whole truth about his life on the moon. So, he decided to tell her.  
  
He began by simply telling Luna that he did more than tell the king jokes. He had lied. He was one of the ambassadors that the king relied on heavily. He had heard and seen ghastly things that he hoped Luna would never have to encounter in her lifetime. Luna was astonished by what she heard. She didn't know that people actually hurt other people because they wanted to. Suddenly, she didn't feel so intelligent and sophisticated. Perhaps she had never chosen to see these things, or she had ignored them. She had no idea that any of these things went on, which was amazing considering her ability to read the minds of others.  
  
The violent acts were most horrendous on earth. Luna had never imagined that anyone could harm another human being in these peaceful times, and the stories Artemis told her of the trials of murderers and thieves on the planet made her very upset. But she was glad that Artemis was finally opening up to her. It made her feel that he trusted her, and she began to trust him. Unconsciously, they began to open up to each other even more, talking about anything and everything that came to their minds, as it had been in the first days of their encounters. Luna even let him begin to touch her again. . . at first, hugging as they left each other in the evenings, and then holding hands.  
  
Because of the newfound openness, Artemis began to imagine that Luna was reciprocating his feelings for her. In fact, it wasn't totally imagined. Luna had begun to think of Artemis often as of late, but she attributed it to the fact that they talked for hours on end, and often left their conversations unfinished until the next day. When she blushed, she told herself that it was the heat, when in fact it had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. Artemis started to tell Luna his feelings for her many times; somehow Luna always seemed to put him off the subject. But, at any rate, Artemis decided that the time had come for him to bring his emotions out into the open, and he began to plan the perfect romantic night.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Luna and Artemis had gone to talk in all parts of the palace, not just the garden. So, Luna didn't think it was unusual when Artemis asked her to come to the ballroom on this night. Artemis thought that the change in scenery seemed necessary to bring up the delicate subject for the topic he had planned for tonight, but he didn't tell Luna what it was. Luna even agreed to wear one of her better dresses, although Artemis didn't tell her why he wanted her to.  
  
Artemis had the evening planned out. He brought in a small orchestra, and decorated the room with small bouquets of flowers. He was checking everything one last time as Luna entered. He cued up the music, too overtaken with emotion to speak right then. He was amazed at how her beauty came out this night.  
  
Luna had taken special care getting ready this night, but she couldn't think of why she really should (or so she told herself). She wore a form-fitting, sleeveless, white gossamer dress with a silver lining. The skirt reached to the floor, gently moving around her tall frame as she walked. He purple-tinted hair was held up away from her face by a crown of purple orchids (a natural flower of Venus) that went with her eyes especially well. Artemis gawked at this sight before him. He knew she was beautiful, but Luna never showed it off like this. She walked toward him with a curious look on her face.  
  
"Artemis, what is this all about?" she inquired, all the time taking in the sight of the ballroom with those eyes that entranced him.  
  
"I wanted tonight to be special. Come, dance with me." he said, taking her hand in his and leading her to the dance floor. Luna gladly accepted and noted how good Artemis looked tonight. He was wearing a silver traditional suit that matched both her dress and his eyes. She felt herself blushing under his gaze (as she often did), although she refused to think that she understood why.  
  
They danced the night away, the two of them connected by some strong bond. Luna let herself be truly free in his arms for the first time in ages, and he let himself indulge in her magnificent gracefulness.  
  
"Artemis, where is your usual happy, funny self?" Luna asked suddenly, during one of the slow dances. They were so close that Artemis could feel her breath on his neck. He had to take a deep breath to regain his senses.  
  
"Tonight, I'm all seriousness." He pulled away from her. "Excuse me for a moment." He kissed her hand and went over to the orchestra, giving them his thanks and asking them politely to leave.  
  
Luna could not hear their conversation, and was surprised when the orchestra rose from their seats and bowed. She was baffled at Artemis' strange behavior this evening. Usually he was very relaxed and easy to talk to, but tonight he seemed to have his mind on something else.  
  
Artemis walked back over to Luna and offered his arm to her. "Shall we?" She gave him a confused look, but took his arm as he led her out to the balcony. There, they looked at the stars together in silence for a moment.  
  
Luna finally just couldn't stand it anymore. "Artemis, what is all this about? You've been preoccupied all night."  
  
Artemis looked at her. "I suppose it's time for me to tell you. I can no longer be your friend."  
  
Luna was heartbroken. "Artemis, what are you saying?"  
  
"I will explain what I mean, but first I have a question for you." Artemis continued, his eyes steely.  
  
"Alright." Luna swallowed, hard. She wondered what she had done for this sudden turn of events to come about.  
  
"Why haven't you ever talked about us?" Artemis posed the question, catching Luna off guard.  
  
"Whatever do you mean?" she asked, blinking. *What about us?*  
  
"I'm talking about us as a couple." Artemis turned toward Luna and let go of her arm so her could put his hands on her shoulders. "I can no longer be your friend, because I can no longer hide this feeling. I've fallen in love with you, Luna." He searched her eyes for some spark like what he was feeling, but found none.  
  
"Oh, Artemis, I. . ." Luna was confused. She certainly was very fond of Artemis, and he made her feel a happiness she had never known, but was this love? This quiet burning? She thought love was supposed to have a passion deep down that made you want to cry. Surely it wasn't as gentle as this. "Artemis, I don't know what to say."  
  
"Say you love me." Artemis' eyes pleaded with her as he spoke.  
  
"I. . ." Luna couldn't think this quickly. She needed time to absorb this information. "I. . . can't. I mean, Artemis, it's not that I don't care about you, but I just. . ." Her voice faded away in the soft breeze.  
  
Artemis looked downtrodden. "No, of course you don't feel that way." He felt like a fool. He should have known that she wouldn't feel the same way as he. She had never shown any signs of affection beyond friendly hugs or laughter. Feeling rejected, he turned away, letting the tears that had formed in his eyes run down onto his cheeks.  
  
"Artemis, wait. I didn't say that I don't have feelings for you." Luna reached out for him and grabbed his arm. He turned toward her, and she saw his tears. That wasn't what he needed to hear. He needed to be reassured that she loved him. "You're crying." she whispered, her beautiful blue eyes burning. "I didn't want to make you cry." She reached up to dry his tears, but found herself caught in his gaze, making her unmovable.  
  
"You didn't want to make me cry. . ." Artemis gazed at her. He believed what she said, but he still needed her to admit her feelings. "If you really don't want to hurt me, then don't lie to me. I KNOW you love me."  
  
Luna looked at him. "Artemis. . . don't make me choose like this." But he stood rigid. He wasn't going to let this issue go. Finally, she couldn't remain under his gaze any longer. "Forgive me." she sobbed, and turned to run away, disappearing into the night.  
  
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Luna ran to her room and flung herself on her bed. *Why didn't I just say yes? Why couldn't I tell him what I really feel? I don't know if this is love, but I know that I feel more strongly about him than I have ever felt about anyone else.*  
  
Artemis stood in the doorway to the ballroom, his arms crossed and his face contorted with a mixture of sadness and rage. *How dare she? She lied to me! Why didn't she just say what she knows to be true?* Then he remembered how Luna had looked as she ran away. He had hurt her deeply. *Let her hurt! She has broken my heart!* Artemis fought the tears at the back of his eyes. Then he realized that if he let her go at this moment, there was no way that he would ever get her back. Would he be willing to risk that? His arms fell to his sides as he sighed.  
  
Luna still lay in her bed, her face streaked with the tears that she could not cease to cry. There was a sound at the window, very soft at first, then slightly louder. She rose up, to see Artemis standing on her balcony. Quickly, she wiped the tears from her face and ran to the window, flinging it open. "Artemis! What are you doing here?" she continued on without giving him time to answer. "Oh, what does it matter? I have something that I must tell you. . ."  
  
"Listen." Artemis whispered. Luna obeyed immediately. "I am a man in love. I don't know what I'm about to do, but I do not apologize for it, whatever it is." With that, he grabbed her around the waist and kissed her fiercely, melding his mouth to hers, keeping her in his embrace until she went almost limp. Only then did he pull back to look into her eyes. There was a light shining in them, brighter than the moon.  
  
She smiled at him; a gentle, easy, inviting smile. This time, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips very gently, scared she would pull away. But she didn't. Instead, she made the kiss deeper and encouraged him further. She nipped at his lips, encouraging them to part just enough to fit her tongue through them. He responded to her passion with enthusiasm, kissing her deeply. After several moments going back and forth, they came up for air.  
  
"There, that's better." she laughed softly, breathing deeply. "Oh, Artemis, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I do love you."  
  
Artemis made no answer except to kiss her passionately again. Eventually, he pulled himself out of her embrace and reluctantly moved a step backward, towards the window. "Shall we meet again tomorrow?" he asked. Luna nodded, unable to speak. "Then I can't wait, my love." he took her hand and kissed it again. Then, as deftly as a cat, he jumped from her balcony and went to his room.  
  
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"Jedeite!" Beryl thundered.  
  
"Yes, my queen?" Jedeite appeared before her.  
  
"You haven't been reporting to me lately. Explain your behavior." Beryl was very upset. She still hadn't found a way to get to Artemis without the girl getting in her way. Not that this fact upset her. Luna was worth nothing to her. Still, she didn't want to make Serenity suspicious. If she killed Artemis, it wouldn't alarm the queen so much, especially if it looked like an accident. But if she killed Luna, she knew that Serenity would take special precaution to protect all of the moon people, especially her husband. Serenity was no fool, Beryl was forced to admit.  
  
Beryl sneered. That stupid Serenity! She may have thought that she knew everything, but she still had no idea what was going on. The moon kingdom would eventually be torn apart, piece by piece, by the earth's problems. And the first large piece of the puzzle was going to be the king and his little attendant, Artemis.  
  
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Over the next few days, Luna was in a trance. She thought of nothing except Artemis, and found it hard to concentrate on anything, even when the queen was talking to her. But her whole world came crashing down in an instant.  
  
Luna was walking towards the queen's chambers for their daily meeting when she heard a scream coming from there. She ran into the exceptionally large bedroom and found the queen lying on her bed, her hair disheveled and dress torn.  
  
"Your majesty!!!" Luna cried. She ran to Serenity's bedside and tried to rouse her queen, thinking she had been attacked. Slowly the queen came to, but she began to cry. Luna decided to break a cardinal rule: she probed the queen's mind in order to find out what was wrong.  
  
At first, all Luna could find was a jumbled pile of thoughts. As she sorted them out, she determined that something had happened to the king. Then she stumbled along a piece of information the queen had not told her. The queen was pregnant!  
  
"Your highness, is this true?" Luna asked quietly. Serenity nodded, then started sobbing again. "Tell me, show me, give me some sign as to why are you so upset." Luna tried to remain calm as she went into her mind probe again.  
  
What she saw shocked her. The king was standing on earth, speaking with some of the earth's delagates, when a blast of negative energy came through the place where he was standing, leaving nothing in its path. . . including the king. He had been killed instantly. Tears began to form in Luna's eyes, but she blinked them away, knowing that the queen needed her more than ever now to be strong.  
  
Suddenly, it occurred to her. Had Artemis been with the king? No; he had decided to stay at the palace today. Thank goodness. But now was not the time for her to be thinking of him. She had to help the queen. She finally got the queen to her feet and helped her to bathe and redress. The queen gradually stopped crying, but a sad demeanor came over her. "Luna?" she asked while Luna helped her to bed.  
  
"Yes, your majesty?" Luna whispered.  
  
"It's time for you to take your place as my chief advisor. I need you more than ever now. Say yes, Luna." Serenity was almost pleading. Luna looked to the floor. How could she say no? But that would mean giving up Artemis. And while she would have done anything for the queen only a few weeks ago, Luna wasn't so sure that she could give Artemis up now. She felt terrible that she would betray her queen because of this.  
  
Serenity sensed Luna's hesitation. "I understand your predicament, Luna. Why don't you ask him?" Luna blinked. She wasn't used to the queen reading her mind very often. She nodded. Quietly, she left the room in search of her love.  
  
============================================================================ ========  
  
"AAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!" Beryl roared. "What do you mean that Artemis wasn't with him?!? Your assignment was to kill the both of them, not just one!!! They both knew what was going on here!" For a moment, she stopped her raving and took comfort in one thought. "Except now, there's only one, and I doubt he knows what's going to happen to himself." Then she remembered her anger. "Jedeite, where was he!?!" she demanded harshly.  
  
Jedeite tried to keep from rolling his eyes. It was hard enough finding the king and getting close enough to throw that energy beam at him. How could he have known that Artemis would choose this day to not accompany the king? "He stayed at the palace, your majesty." he answered. "But don't worry, he'll be gone as soon as I can get to the moon." He bowed and disappeared, not realizing that he was already too late to go to the moon.  
  
============================================================================ ========  
  
"Artemis?" Luna called for him, up and down the halls. He had not been in his bedroom, the library, the garden, or any of the other spots they had visited when they were together. She was very distraught thinking that he had disappeared. Finally, she found him, in the king's bedchambers.  
  
"Artemis, what are you doing here?" Luna ran to him. He was sitting on the bed, looking at his hands.  
  
"This is where I should be. I'm supposed to be helping the king right now." Artemis whispered fiercely. Tears spilled over onto his cheeks. He looked at Luna for the first time since she entered the room. "She killed my parents. Now she has killed the king. I was supposed to protect him. How could I let this happen?" He began to sob. Luna sat next to him and took his head into her lap.  
  
"Shh. It's not your fault. Everything will be okay. I know the queen will fix everything so it will be happy again. I know, I know it hurts. Oh, my poor Artemis." She stroked his hair, wiped his tears, cried a little with him. She cried for him, she cried for the queen, for the king, for the unborn heir or heiress.  
  
Finally, they both stopped crying and sat silent. Luna decided that now was as good a time as any to talk to Artemis about what was to come next. "Artemis?"  
  
"Yes, Luna?" Artemis looked up at her face. She was still beautiful to him, even with her eyes red from crying.  
  
"I need to talk to you about the future." Luna took his hands in her own. They were so large compared to hers, so much rougher with the work of someone who had a tougher life than hers. "The queen has asked me to become her chief advisor, because she needs my help to put order back in the Silver Millennium."  
  
"Luna, how wonderful!" Artemis hugged her, but Luna shrugged him off. He could sense that she wasn't happy about the appointment. "What's wrong? This is what you've always wanted to do. Why don't you seem happy about it?"  
  
Then he remembered something Luna had told him. The reason the queen didn't want her to become an advisor before was because all of her advisors had already lived life, been married, and had had to give everything up to be in service to their queen.  
  
Luna looked in his eyes. "It's not that simple, Artemis. I don't think I would ever see you again if I officially became Serenity's advisor." She looked down, forcing the tears in her eyes back. "I don't want to lose you."  
  
Artemis lifted her face up. "You will never lose me. Not even when I die. If you are asking for my permission, then I say go. I want you to do this. This is your dream. Don't give it up for me. We'll find a way to make this work after all this commotion dies down." He gently kissed her, forgetting all the pain of the last few minutes.  
  
Luna gave him a sad smile. "Thank you." she whispered, kissing him quickly on the cheek and running to tell the queen of her decision.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next day, Luna was officially appointed as chief advisor to the queen. The people of the moon and the other planets took a moment in their grief to celebrate this new addition to the royal staff. Luna immersed herself in her duties, trying to forget Artemis for the time. Being without him was very painful for her.  
  
About a week after her promotion, she received a summons from the queen. She went to the throne room, and found the queen sitting there with Artemis at her side. It was obvious that something was wrong. Luna walked toward them. "What is it you need, majesty?" she asked, bowing.  
  
"Luna, I have some distressing news. We have learned who killed my husband. It was a vengeful woman, Queen Beryl of earth. She rules the Negaverse under Metallia, a mysterious power. And now, I have made a decree that no moon citizen can travel to earth, or them to us. We have to take every precaution." Serenity paused.  
  
"I know of Beryl. Artemis told me about her. Besides, you could have told me this tonight at our meeting," Luna said, confused.  
  
"That is not the only thing I have to tell you." Serenity took a deep breath. "I believe that Beryl killed my husband because of knowledge he possessed. This means Artemis is in danger as well, because he knew everything that my husband knew." Luna gasped, looking at Artemis. He nodded to confirm this, and Serenity continued. "I have decided to put Artemis out of danger. The king of Venus has agreed to keep him there at Venus until we defeat Beryl."  
  
Luna went numb. Not only would she have to live without Artemis until the king's death had been properly mourned, she would have to wait until this power could be defeated. "How long will that take, highness?" she whispered.  
  
"I don't know. Right now I'm thinking that it will take several years." Serenity looked down. She knew that she was hurting Luna deeply right now. "I'm sorry Luna. I brought you here to say good-bye to Artemis." She got up and walked out of the throne room, leaving the lovers alone.  
  
Artemis ran to Luna. "Luna, I don't want to go, but the queen insisted. I want to stay here with you. I want to protect you, like I couldn't do for the king."  
  
Luna couldn't believe her ears. "No, you can't stay here. The queen's right. If we were invaded, you would be the first to die under Beryl's hand. I know the queen can defeat the Negaverse, but I still don't think you'd survive." Luna put her arms around him. "But, Artemis, I don't want to lose you either!" She ran her hands over his face, memorizing every crevice, every detail, every strand of hair, as she shed tears of fear.  
  
Artemis took her hands and kissed them both gently. Then, with one fell swoop, he scooped Luna into his arms and carried her to his bed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When Luna awoke the next morning, her first thought was one of happiness, knowing that she and Artemis were now bonded together in a way that could not be broken. But her next thought was of fear, knowing that every second Artemis waited to leave, was one second closer to his destruction. She jumped at this thought, and felt for the first time his arm around her. Gently she rid herself of his arms and shook him awake.  
  
"Artemis, you have to leave." she prodded.  
  
"No, just one more minute." Artemis reached out to hold Luna again. He couldn't bear to be away from her.  
  
"Come on, Artemis. You have to go." Luna pulled him to his feet. "I don't want you dead." Artemis awoke at this astounding revelation. They dressed in a hurry, packing his things and making ready for his departure.  
  
The next thing Luna knew, Artemis was on an armored transport to Venus. She kissed him good-bye briefly. There was no need for a long good- bye; last night had been their true farewell. And then he was gone.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"What do you mean, he's gone?!?" Beryl whispered, too angry to yell.  
  
"I mean, they have transferred him to one of the other planets and hidden him. I haven't been able to find his whereabouts yet. But I promise you, my queen, I will find where they put him." Jedeite was nervous. He had now failed the queen twice, and he knew she wouldn't stand for a third time.  
  
"No." Beryl thought for a moment. "You won't do anything. I have a better idea. I knew that this wasn't going to be quick. I'll just have to wait. We'll do nothing for the time being. Let's just sit and let him come out on his own." Beryl smiled with self-assurance, knowing that Serenity couldn't keep the moon people away from the earth forever. And, if Artemis and Luna were as close as she thought, Serenity wouldn't keep them apart for too long.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Luna once again engulfed herself in her work for the queen, even staying up at all hours of the night to finish an assignment because she knew she would dream of Artemis if she slept. She was haunted by the look in his eyes when he had said good-bye that night in his arms. She was determined that when this was all over, she would marry Artemis and never have to see that look in his eyes again. This kept her going when she found that she had no strength.  
  
Serenity noticed the change in Luna's commitment to her work. She also noticed how exhausted Luna could be during the day. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get Luna to quit work to sleep. She understood Luna's reasons, but she couldn't let her see Artemis. It was still too dangerous, especially if Beryl was watching to see where they had hidden him.  
  
Beryl disappeared immediately after the king's death. While this worried her, Serenity also knew that the ban couldn't last forever. And so, seven months later, when it almost time for her baby to come, Serenity lifted the ban on travel to the earth. Luna was thrilled, because it meant that Artemis might be able to come home soon, and they could go to earth like they planned from their first meeting.  
  
But first, Luna had to help the queen through her pregnancy. At this point, the queen was very large, and she could have the baby any day. Luna had read enough books to be a midwife, and the queen was glad to have her help when she finally went into labor.  
  
"Your majesty, you have to lie down. Just wait here while I get the doctor." Luna led the queen to her bed when her water broke.  
  
"No, Luna, there's no time. I need you to stay here." Serenity's face was distorted in pain. She laid on the bed, sweating and exhausted. Luna was very scared. Was all the knowledge she had enough to get the queen through this? She wasn't so sure. She knew everything that had to be done, but would she remember all of it in the midst of the birth?  
  
Luna shouldn't have worried so much. As soon as she was needed, she automatically knew how to help the queen, without even having to think about it. And, as the beautiful golden-haired baby girl was born, she felt a sense of pride and protectiveness over this small child. She felt so privileged to be the first person to ever hold the heiress to the throne. To be the first face that this brand new soul saw.  
  
"Oh, Luna, she's so beautiful!" Tears formed in Serenity's eyes as she held her daughter for the first time. "How can you love someone so much that you just met?" She kissed her daughter's face, and held her tightly, wishing to protect her from the pain that she knew would come in her life.  
  
"What will you name her?" Luna asked.  
  
"Serena. She has calmed the pain in my heart. If only her father could have seen her." Serenity glowed with a tempered happiness. "Luna, go and tell the subjects of their new princess." Luna bowed and obeyed.  
  
There was celebration for many weeks after the princess' birth. She was very lovable, and very beautiful. Looking at her, everyone forgot the danger that was still very real and present in the kingdom. No one felt unhappy during that time. It was just as if nothing had happened to bring a sweeping sadness over the kingdom.  
  
But Luna wasn't truly happy. The memory of danger was always with her. It was what kept her from her love. She looked in the sky every night, always finding Venus in the heavens, and wondered if Artemis was looking at the moon right now. It had now been over 9 months since Beryl had first appeared and disappeared. Surely she wasn't coming back. Luna wept bitterly sometimes, and other times she felt anger. Sometimes she went to see the princess just to feel the serenity that came from her presence. Serena was the perfect name for this small bundle of joy.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Beryl ranted and raved when she heard of the princess' birth. "Oh, well." she consoled herself. "I won't have to worry about her as soon as I get her mother." She began her final plans to conquer the moon kingdom. The destruction of Serenity's world was at hand.  
  
Serenity called Luna to her throne room one day, when Serena was about six months old. She had a smile on her face that said that she was up to something.  
  
"Luna, I have some special news for you." she said, smiling brightly. "But maybe I shouldn't be the one to tell you. In fact, maybe one of my priests would be more equipped to handle it." Luna was puzzled. What did she mean?  
  
And then, out of the shadows, Artemis stepped up to Luna. He stayed back for a moment, letting Luna take him in. When she realized who it was, she ran to him. "Artemis! Oh, Artemis! I can't believe it's you!" She put her arms around him and kissed him over and over. She couldn't get enough of him. "Are you here to stay? Oh, please say yes Artemis!" Artemis nodded. She kissed him again, quick butterfly kisses all over his face. She ran her hands over his face and arms. It was like a dream. Now their wish could be fulfilled.  
  
Finally, the queen interrupted their happy reunion. "Now, Luna, you're being rude. You haven't let Artemis get a word in edgewise since you saw him." She was smiling even more broadly. She loved Luna so much, and it was a relief to see her happy again.  
  
Luna gave Artemis a questioning look. "Did you want to say something?" Artemis just grinned. "Well come on, say something. Say anything!"  
  
Artemis chuckled. He got down on one knee and held out a small box. "Okay. I'll say anything. I love you, and I want to marry you. Luna, will you do me the honor of being my wife?" He flipped open the box, revealing a silver engagement ring with an amethyst surrounded by tiny diamonds.  
  
Luna gasped. She took the box from him and stared, silent. Tears began to streak down her face; this was just perfect. Everything she wanted was right here, within her reach. "Yes." she whispered. Then she looked into his eyes, and as he stood, she said it louder so the entire palace could hear her. "Oh, yes yes yes yes yes yes!" Artemis grabbed her around the waist and kissed her passionately, not giving her a moment to think otherwise. It didn't matter that the entire kingdom could see them. To them, there was no one else in the universe at that moment. Only pure happiness radiated from them.  
  
After a minute of this, the queen cleared her throat. Reluctantly, the happy couple stopped kissing and turned to face her. "Well, I guess we should plan the wedding, shouldn't we?" She grinned. Luna honestly couldn't remember seeing the queen happier. It was as if her own daughter was getting married. And so, the arrangements began.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Your evilness, I have good news." Jedeite appeared before Beryl, smiling for the first time in months. "That man, Artemis, is back on the moon. We can strike and kill him." Jedeite paused.  
  
"Yes, go on." Beryl urged him. This was just the chance she wanted.  
  
"Well, there is one complication. As soon as he got back to the moon, he proposed to the queen's chief advisor, Luna." Jedeite prepared himself for the blast that he knew was coming.  
  
But it didn't come. "He did, did he?" Beryl thought for a moment. "Well, we'll just have to eliminate her. And I think I know just the way." she smirked. Poor, stupid Serenity. She would never have an idea of what happened to her beloved advisor, or her priest.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Luna and Artemis lay in the garden, looking at the earth above them. "Artemis, do you remember when we first met, and you asked me if I would go to the earth with you someday?"  
  
"Yes." Artemis remembered everything about that first day. But going to the earth was impossible now. The queen would never agree to it, because the earth was just too dangerous a place to go. But he understood, and it was acceptable for now.  
  
"It's too bad we can't go." Luna gazed at the blue ball, and fervently wished that nothing had happened to make it dangerous. But wishing wouldn't change the past. So, she and Artemis began to talk about going somewhere else for a honeymoon.  
  
Out of nowhere, the queen walked up to them. "Luna, Artemis, I want to talk to you two." she said brusquely. They stood up and bowed. "Now, I was just reading your thoughts, and you two can go on to earth now if you want to, for a short visit. It won't bother me if it's less than a day."  
  
Luna was startled. The queen never spoke like this, and she didn't make it a habit of reading people's thoughts, but perhaps she was just trying to help. Or perhaps she was tired. After all, she did have a baby to look after. "Why, of course, your majesty."  
  
"Why don't you go tomorrow? I'll have a ship ready for you." the queen said.  
  
"Okay, your highness." Artemis said. The queen turned and left before either of them could bow. Artemis and Luna looked at each other. This was definitely weird, but it was probably nothing major. The queen was just overtired, that's all.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Beryl smiled. It hadn't been hard to disguise herself as the queen, and those two nincompoops had fallen for her trap. Tomorrow, she was going to be rid of her biggest problems, and no one could stop her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next morning, Artemis and Luna met in front of the palace, and waited for the ship that was to take them to earth. A man walked up to them. "Luna and Artemis?" he asked.  
  
"Yes? Who are you?" Luna asked.  
  
"I'm Jedeite, and I'll be your chauffeur for today. Please, step this way." Jedeite smirked. He led them to his ship, and made sure that he was the perfect gentleman. He couldn't ruin this for Beryl, or she'd kill him.  
  
The trip to earth went well, and they landed safely on the planet's surface in a quiet, secluded spot of trees. They all departed from the spacecraft and went around the area, looking at different types of plants and animals native only to earth. Secretly, Jedeite was wondering when Beryl was going to come. He couldn't baby-sit these two forever.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Serenity was walking through the palace, searching for Luna. She had had an appointment with her for this morning, but Luna had not shown up. And now Serenity was worried.  
  
"Have you seen Luna today, Venusia?" Serenity anxiously asked one of the servant girls.  
  
"Why, yes, your majesty. She went on a chartered ship with Artemis this morning. They were speaking of going to earth." Venusia replied.  
  
"Earth?! Why would they go there?" Serenity had strictly forbidden any travel to that planet.  
  
"I didn't ask. But they had a chauffeur and everything, majesty, so I thought it must be okay with you." Venusia was not very bright.  
  
Serenity was in a rage. Why would those two just go from the moon to the earth? Surely they wouldn't purposely disobey her? Either way, she would have to go to earth to find them. She called for her ship.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Artemis and Luna ate their picnic lunch together quietly, while Jedeite looked on. He yawned. What could be taking Beryl so long?  
  
"You were wondering something?" Beryl appeared right beside him.  
  
"Oh, no, your evilness." Jedeite had been caught off guard. It was a good thing Beryl was in a good mood. "But isn't it about time to get rid of these nuisances?"  
  
"Yes, I believe you are right." Beryl chuckled. "But first, I would like to toy with my prey. They are so cute, don't you think?" She disguised herself as Serenity and walked over to where Luna and Artemis were sitting.  
  
"Luna, Artemis, what a surprise to see you here!" she said in the happiest voice she could conjure up (although she was a little rusty.)  
  
"Your highness! What are you doing here?" Luna quickly stood up and took the queen's hand. Immediately, she felt that something wasn't right. There was not the usual aura of goodness about the queen. In fact, there was something a little sinister. . .  
  
"Yes, your highness, I didn't expect for you to come to see us. I'm sorry we did not pack enough food to include you in our picnic." Artemis also stood to greet the queen.  
  
"Not to worry. I won't be needing your food." the fake queen chuckled under her breath. She began to form a small ball of pure black energy in her hand, where Luna and Artemis could not see it.  
  
"Beryl, I command you to stop!" The true queen appeared, running into the glade, and shooting a blast of energy from her crystal.  
  
"AAUUGGHH!" Beryl screamed. She immediately hurled a ball of black energy at the queen's head, barely missing. The two began to circle each other, throwing colored balls of energy at each other's head.  
  
"Run!" one of the queens yelled. Artemis and Luna obeyed, but only by running a few feet. Then Luna turned around. It was obvious that the queens were evenly matched, and there was no way either one could win.  
  
"Luna, come on!" Artemis tugged at her arm, trying to get her to run with him. He didn't want to see her hurt. He would come back to protect the queen after Luna was safe. But Luna remained where she was, transfixed on the two queens battling. She was having a hard time determining which queen was throwing which energy. She closed her eyes and began to pray. Hard.  
  
"Artemis, help me." Artemis immediately sensed what she needed. He put his hands on her shoulders and focused all his energy upon her. It was the boost Luna needed. With his help, she slowed time in her mind, and watched the queens closely.  
  
Slowly, she formed a ball of power in her hand. The crescent moon on her forehead began to glow with silver. Her hair floated around her in slow motion. She was floating in the air, all the while making the white ball of energy grow.  
  
The trees began to sway. Luna was gathering energy from the earth. The waters began to break into waves. Above, the sky seemed to curve into her efforts. Luna concentrated hard on the source of the negative energy. Finally, she held up her hands and sent the blast of white light into the heart of the negative energy.  
  
"NO!!" Beryl screamed. She hurled her ball of black energy and hit Luna as she was knocked back onto the rocks. She lay there, unconscious and bleeding. Luna fell to the ground with a thud, her energy gone. Then Serenity fell as well. Artemis first went to Luna, and gently lay her on the ground before he went to attend the queen. After a moment, Serenity regained consciousness, and her first thought was of Luna. Where had she found the energy to do that? She ran over to her fallen advisor. Luna lay on the ground, looking very peaceful. Artemis held her.  
  
"Luna!? Luna, answer me!?" he cried softly into her ear. Luna coughed and looked up.  
  
"Did I get her?" she whispered. She could barely breathe, and it hurt to talk. But looking at Artemis and Serenity, she forgot the pain.  
  
"Yes, Luna. You did it." Serenity was forcing back the tears. She knew she couldn't save Luna at this point, and Artemis didn't even realize it yet.  
  
"Oh, Serenity. I'm glad." Luna coughed again. "Artemis. . ."  
  
"Yes, Luna?" Artemis was choking back the tears now. He had to hold her very close in order to hear her.  
  
"I'm sorry. . . I don't think I can make it. . ." Tears streamed down their faces. "Artemis. . . I love you. . . Don't forget that. . . I love you. . . . . Artem. . ." Luna lay limp in his arms. Artemis screamed and held her to him.  
  
"NOOOO!!!" He grabbed her and held her tightly, willing the breath of life to come back to her. But it was too late. She was gone. Gently, he placed her on the soft earth and stood.  
  
"Artemis, what are you going to do?" Serenity looked up at him. Artemis might be dangerous in this state of mind. His features were hard, yet his tears still flowed.  
  
"I'm going to destroy that woman." he said, pointing to the rocks where Beryl had fallen. Then he looked, and gasped. She was gone! "No! Where did she go?"  
  
"Up here!" a male voice boomed. Jedeite was hovering in the air, holding his fallen queen. He smirked. "Mark my words, you will regret this day!" he yelled as he disappeared into his dark realm.  
  
Serenity sighed. "At least she won't be coming back for a while." Then she looked at Luna again. "Oh, my poor Luna. Why did you give your life for me?"  
  
"Can't you do anything to save her?" Artemis looked at his fallen love. He didn't know if he could live without her.  
  
"Artemis, I want you to understand. There is something I can do, but this is going to be hard for you." Serenity could think of only one way to bring Luna back to life.  
  
"Anything." Artemis only wanted Luna back.  
  
"If I made her human again, she wouldn't be the same person. And this body can no longer hold life, but there may be something else that can be done. . . I can bring her back in the form of another animal. Tell me, is this what you want?"  
  
"Yes. I must have her back." Artemis was overcome with grief.  
  
"Then what would she want?" Serenity asked this question gently. This was a harrowing decision to make so soon after Luna's death.  
  
"A cat." he answered immediately, startling the queen. "She loved cats. And we once discussed this, for fun. She would want to be a cat." He was positive. If this was the only way, then this would have to happen.  
  
"Are you sure?" Serenity asked.  
  
"I'm sure, on one condition: if you do this for her, you do this for me too. I want to be with her, in whatever form, wherever she is." Artemis suddenly had a very clear, concise picture in his head. He knew what he wanted.  
  
"You cannot become human ever again after this, you know. . ." Serenity knew that this would not change this man's mind. He was too in love.  
  
"I know. Please, Serenity. . . If this is the only way, so be it." Artemis pleaded.  
  
"So be it." Serenity echoed his words as she stood next to him. "Are you ready?"  
  
Artemis nodded. Serenity lifted her crystal. She enveloped both Luna and Artemis is bright white light. Artemis felt his body shrink, and a tail to grow. He felt himself losing weight, and growing hair. Finally, he felt himself back on the ground, on all fours. Deftly, he jumped over to Luna and began to pat her with his new paw. She was a purple colored cat, with a long, slender tail.  
  
Slowly, her eyes opened. She looked at Artemis. "Artemis... wha... what happened?"  
  
"You died." Tears came into Artemis's eyes. "This was the only way to save you."  
  
"Oh, Artemis, you. . . did this for me?" Luna looked at him. He was a cat. Which means that she was as well. "You changed yourself, to be with me?" She was overcome with relief, joy, love, and sorrow, all at once. "How. . . how can I thank you?"  
  
"No need, Luna. Let's just go home." Artemis licked her face gently and prodded her to stand.  
  
"Yes, let's go home, Luna." echoed Serenity. She didn't have to hear Luna say thank you to feel her gratitude and warmth. Luna nodded.  
  
On the way to the ship, she walked over to Artemis. "I meant every word I said, you know." she said quietly.  
  
"I know. And I meant every deed I have done. You and I, we're a team. And we always will be, Luna. We are bonded in a special way now." Artemis looked down.  
  
Luna licked him on the ear. "That's the way it should be." They boarded the ship for the moon.  
  
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Luna gazed up at the earth now. It looked so similar, yet so different. The thousands of years between then and now seemed like an eternity, but her feelings had never changed. She looked at her old body, and realized that she was no longer comfortable in it. She transformed herself into the one form she had known in all of this life: a cat. And now, she transported herself back to her new home: the earth. Artemis would be waiting up for her, she knew.  
  
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I hoped that you enjoyed this little story. It's my version of what happened to Luna and Artemis, although that doesn't make it fact. Still, I thought that it should have a little romance to it. Tell me what you thought! Reviews are more than welcome, but you know my rule: if you're going to flame me, please give me a good reason. Constructive criticism is welcome, not outright rudeness. As always, praise is MORE than welcome! ^_~ 


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